Pavement grooving machine

ABSTRACT

A pavement grooving machine comprising a truck and trailer with a yoke mounted therebetween, a housing having rotary blade pavement cutter means depending therefrom, the housing being horizontally rotatably mounted on and depending from the yoke, the housing being sufficiently rotatable to provide the cutter means with selective first and second pavement cutting positions opposed 180* relative to each other, whereby the rotary blade cutter means are capable of selective clockwise and counterclockwise cutting action. Otherwise, the rotatable housing permits the use of a bank of rotary cutter blades long enough to span a road pavement lane when in cutting position and rotatably retractable to another less space-consuming position when the machine is in transit.

United States Patent [191 Ellis PAVEMENT GROOVING MACHINE [75] Inventor: Stafford M. Ellis, Bears ted, England [73] Assignee: Super-Cut, Inc., Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: June 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 261,360

Primary ExaminerErnest R. Purser Feb. 25, 1975 [57] 1 ABSTRACT A pavement grooving machine comprising a truck and trailer with a yoke mounted therebetween, a housing having rotary blade pavement cutter means depending therefrom, the housing being horizontally rotatably mounted on and depending from the yoke, the housing being sufficiently rotatable to provide the cutter means with selective first and second pavement cutting positions opposed 180 relative to each other, whereby the rotary blade cutter means are capable of selective clockwise and counter-clockwise cutting action. Otherwise, the rotatable housing permits the use of a bank of rotary cutter blades long enough to span a road pavement lane when in cutting position and rotatably retractable toanother less space-consuming position when the machine is in transit.

- 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures is o a l-llilmili ll'lllll PATENImfmzsims sum 1 or PAVEMENT GROOVING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A pavement grooving machine ofthe type contemplated comprises a motor truck and trailer with a yoke mounted therebetween for supporting a cutter housing or module which contains a motor drive means and cooperating belt drive linkage for operating a bank of rotary cutter blades mounted thereon and depending therefrom. He'retofore, the cutter housing or module had been mounted in fixed position. In a fixed position the length of the bank of cutter blades had to be limited to a length less than the transverse width of a pavement lane, e.g. about 8 feet or less, so that the machine could be easily moved in transit from one location to another without becoming a traffic hazard as an oversized vehicle. Thus, the bank of cutter blades had been limited in length to the transverse width of the machine itself or less. In such case the pavement could not be grooved with a single continuous cutting operation spanning the width of the pavement lane and atleast a second cutting or grooving pass had to be resorted to. Also, with a fixed cutter housing or module, the blades are driven by the belt linkage in a single rotary cutting direction, e.g. a counter-clockwise direction providing the blades with a downcut on the pavement. Due to the variations of the pavement texture, it is sometimes more efficient to cut or groove the pavement in a clockwise or upcut action.

With a cutter housing or module'horizontally rotatably mounted on the yoke according to the present invention, the housing being preferably of rectangular form having dimensions, e.g. l2 feet 6 inches in length and about 8 feet or less in width, the housing is positioned lengthwise to span the width of the pavement lane during the cutting or grooving operation and is rotatably retractable to its lesser dimension or width during transit. Also since the, housing isat least l80 rotatable, preferably 360 rotatable, the bank of cutter or grooving blades can be easily selectively rotated to assume either a clockwise upcutting action or a counterclockwise downcutting action depending upon the texture of the pavement being grooved.

SUMMARY ,OF THE INVENTION.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a pavement grooving machine comprising a motor truck and trailer with an upwardly directed yoke bridging the truck and trailer, a housing or module preferably of rectangular form having rotary blade pavement cutter means depending therefrom, the housing being horizontally rotatably mounted on and depending from the yoke, the housing being sufficiently rotatable to provide the depending rotary blade cutter means with selective first and second pavement cutting or grooving positions opposed 180. relative to each other, whereby the rotary bladecutter means are capable of selective clockwise upcutting and counter-clockwise downcutting action when in contactwith the pavement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an elevational side view of the pavement grooving machine of the invention with the yoke- DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pavement grooving machine of the invention comprises a motor truck I and trailer 2 with an upright yoke 3 mounted therebetween, e.g. bridging the truck and trailer. The yoke 3 comprises a substantially horizontally disposed beam 4 having depending vertically adjustable legs 5 and 6 substantially at opposite ends thereof, one of the legs 5 being mounted on the truck bed 7 and the other leg 6 being mounted on the trailer bed 8. The vertically adjustable legs are preferably of the piston-cylinder type. An angle brace 9 is shown connected between beam 4 and leg 5 and another angle brace 10 is shown con-. nected between beam 4 and leg 6. A housing or module II having a bank of rotary blade pavement cutter means 12 depending therefrom is rotatably mounted on beam 4 of yoke 3 and depends therefrom. The bank of rotary blades comprises blade sections 13, l4, l5 and 16, The housing 11 is preferably of rectangular form, i.e. an elongated rectangle, having opposite long sides 17 and 18 and opposite shorter sides 19 and 20. Housing 11 is horizontally rotatably mounted on beam 4 by means of rotatable coupling 21 and is rotatably activated by motor 22, e.g. an electrical motor. The bank of rotary blades comprising blade sections I3, l4, l5 and 16 is dependently supported on the housing 11 by means of supports 23, 24 and 25 and are driven by belts 26, 27, 28 and 29.

FIG. 1 illustrates the yoke-supported housing 11 carrying the bank of rotary blades elevated above pavement 30 and in position for transit, while FIG. 2 illustrates the yokesupported housing I] with the bank of rotary blades rotated at 90 relative to FIG. 1 and with the bank of rotary blades in pavement grooving position.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate enlarged fragmentary partly sectional views showing the rotary grooving or cutting blades depending from housing 11 contacting the pavement 30 with a counterclockwise or downcutting ac.- tion according to FIG. 3 and with a clockwise or upcutting action according to FIG. 4, the housing and bank of rotary blades of FIG. 4 being in a pavement contacting position rotated l relative to that of FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the top-surface of the housing 11 is provided with a circular boss 31 having a gear 32 mounted co-axially thereon, thegear 32 carrying a shaft 33 engaging journal 34 in beam 4. The boss 31 is provided with trunnion bearings 35 and 36 which extend radially outwardly therefrom and ride in an annu- 7 f What'is claimed 1s?" 1 lar track 37 provided' by a circular ring 38 mounted on;

the underside of beam 4. The beam 4 is provided with" an annular recess intowhich the boss and trunnion bearings fit. The motor means 22 mounted on the top of bearm '4;,carries a'shafL 39 on which-is ccaxially mounted a pinion jgear 4tlheng=aging the "gear 3,2:The v j motor means 22"isfan,electrical rnotor withfflleads toia sonrceof power not shown o r I v Various modifications of the invention are contema plated within the seope of; the appended claims'. 1

1. A pavement grooving means and'trailer mennmun upright yoke connected" between the truck means'and trailerrme ans, a bank of] 5, r 7

- rotary cutting blades, horiiontnlly rotatable support machine comprising a truck; l

means forthe bank of butting blades rc jtattablydepend-v ingly mount'ed on thefyoke between the' truck' meansr and trailer means, the bank of bladesjbeing depenclingly mounted on the rotatable support means, the ro-.

talabler -sl1PPOrt man5- being sufficiently irbtata bleita r, providethelbankof'blades withselectiye first and sec y 49nd: curring, nositionsxdisposetl "atfleast 910 a amih g r V yoke'lineluding;asubstantially;horizontllydisposed!", "i 'beam carrryin g the rotatable support rnennsyan r a lu; 1 ralityotlegssnbstantially at opposite endsjlof thecbeam; I l

each leg being mounted on once! the trnck andtr'ailcr means, said legs being vertically;ndjustahle forselective raisingnndlowering of the bez imt V I 

1. A pavement grooving machine comprising a truck means and trailer means, an upright yoke connected between the truck means and trailer means, a bank of rotary cutting blades, horizontally rotatable support means for the bank of cutting blades rotatably dependingly mounted on the yoke between the truck means and trailer means, the bank of blades being dependingly mounted on the rotatable support means, the rotatable support means being sufficiently rotatable to provide the bank of blades with selective first and second cutting positions disposed at least 90* apart, the yoke including a substantially horizontally disposed beam carrying the rotatable support means, and a plurality of legs substantially at opposite ends of the beam, each leg being mounted on one of the truck and trailer means, said legs being vertically adjustable for selective raising and lowering of the beam. 